From Library Journal
With images of nearly 300 disparate works from 41 artists, as well as examples of decorative patterning from ancient, Celtic, Islamic, Oceanic, Asian, American, and African traditions, this packed volume casts a wide net in its coverage of ornamentalism in 19th- and 20th-century art. Nine focused essays, primarily by German art historians, connect ornamental elements to artists and movements. While each could stand alone, the texts do not mesh particularly well. Matisse, Kandinsky, Mondrian, Picasso, Frank Stella, and mid-20th-century abstraction receive primary treatment, although the works displayed and discussed range from Philipp Runge to Rosemarie Trockel. This English-language exhibition catalog accompanied the "Ornament und Abstraktion" show held last summer at the Fondation Beyeler in Basel, Switzerland. A more straightforward approach and introduction to the topic is James Trilling's The Language of Ornament. Visually arresting and demanding of its readers, this catalog is a wise purchase in support of graduate-level research. Russell T. Clement, Northwestern Univ. Lib., Evanston, IL Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
Book Description
The importance of ornament in the emergence and development of abstract art has long been underestimated. Indeed, such pioneers as Wassily Kandinsky and Piet Mondrian looked upon ornament as a sin in which abstraction should not indulge. Yet ornament had a decided if surreptitious impact on abstract art, this book demonstrates. Featuring four artists who help to highlight the role of ornament in the history of art-Kandinsky, Mondrian, Henri Matisse, and Frank Stella-this generously illustrated volume examines in depth the influence of ornament as a formal and methodical element in abstract art. The book begins with the innovative pictorial conception of Philipp Otto Runge, whose early nineteenth-century paintings featured the last genuine form in the history of ornament-the arabesque. The authors trace the influence of the arabesque and show how, side by side with the "royal way" of Cubism, arabesque abstraction opens up a second doorway to the world of non-figurative art. Following other lines of inquiry, the authors explore theoretical findings on the theme of ornament and what it reveals about the relation between abstraction and figurative art; modern artists' preoccupation with the ornamentation found in distant cultures (such as Matisse with the Orient and Oceania, Ad Reinhardt with Asian culture, and Josef Albers and Barnett Newman with pre-Columbian ornament); and ornamentation's relation to Minimalism, new media, digital technology, the Renaissance, and the Rococo. Showcasing a remarkable array of masterpieces, this book is a celebration of ornament and its impact on abstract art.
From the Publisher
Distributed for Dumont, Cologne
About the Author
Markus Brüderlin is chief curator of the Beyeler Foundation.
Ornament and Abstraction: The Dialogue between Non Western, Modern and Contemporary Art FROM THE PUBLISHER
"This book is an in-depth study of this major theme in 20th century art history. It begins with the innovative pictorial conception of Philipp Otto Runge, whose early 19th century paintings featured the last genuine form in the history of ornament, the arabesque. The arabesque had an influence via Symbolism (Maurice Denis, Paul Gauguin) and Art Nouveau (Henry van de Velde, Gustav Klimt, Josef Hoffmann) on painting's move towards abstraction (Vasily Kandinsky, Frantisek Kupka, Adolf Hoelzel), which resulted on the one hand in a non-figurative, geometric structure of lines (Mondrian), and on the other, in the swirls of Matisse and Jackson Pollock. Side by side with the "royal way" of Cubism, arabesque abstraction therefore opens up a second doorway to the world of non-figurative art." Significant influences also result from the modern artists' preoccupation with the ornamentation found in distant cultures, such as Matisse with the Orient and Oceania, Ad Reinhardt with Asian culture, and American painting with pre-Columbian ornament (Josef Albers, Barnett Newman). Referring also to Minimalism, new media, digital technology, the Renaissance and the Rococo, the book celebrates the impact of ornament on abstract art, as well as showcasing a remarkable array of masterpieces.
FROM THE CRITICS
Library Journal
With images of nearly 300 disparate works from 41 artists, as well as examples of decorative patterning from ancient, Celtic, Islamic, Oceanic, Asian, American, and African traditions, this packed volume casts a wide net in its coverage of ornamentalism in 19th- and 20th-century art. Nine focused essays, primarily by German art historians, connect ornamental elements to artists and movements. While each could stand alone, the texts do not mesh particularly well. Matisse, Kandinsky, Mondrian, Picasso, Frank Stella, and mid-20th-century abstraction receive primary treatment, although the works displayed and discussed range from Philipp Runge to Rosemarie Trockel. This English-language exhibition catalog accompanied the "Ornament und Abstraktion" show held last summer at the Fondation Beyeler in Basel, Switzerland. A more straightforward approach and introduction to the topic is James Trilling's The Language of Ornament. Visually arresting and demanding of its readers, this catalog is a wise purchase in support of graduate-level research. Russell T. Clement, Northwestern Univ. Lib., Evanston, IL Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.
Art & Photography
Book Info
